I live in an old house in France. The wiring does not follow the norms. What‘s more, the existing outlets are all 2-pole (no ground wire).At some outlets, there are tied-off wires of what I suspect to be neutral (leading farther in the circuit) wires. But I also suspect some of these wires may be ground wires. They are not connected to the outlet, but they are connected together - neutral what I suspect to be ground. Is that possible?In the walls wiring (at outlet sites), I know how to test for the live wire (phase). But what I want to identify is the ground. How can I test a wire to see if it is a ground? I have a multimeter.
the ground and the neutral wires both attatch to the same block in your main panel. you can test them for continuity or use a wiggy, you should have 120 vlts with the hot and either of the other wires.
This sounds BAD!!!!!. Seems the wiring in this property is ancient, get it rewired, or get a booking with the local mortuary.
No matter whether you are in Europe or anywhere else, you will always have a phase or hot wire and a return path. The return path will take the form of a separate neutral. In older homes in Europe and the US, the neutral was also used as the ground. It was not until life safety standards came into effect that a separate ground was required. Everything will continue to work as usual, unless there is a phase-to-neutral fault which could be caused be worn insulation or current leaks in old appliances. You should be able to identify the ground as a bare conductor without insulation. If you don't see it, you probably don't have it. If you have the confidence to look inside the breaker panel, then remove the front cover (don't touch anything). You should see a hot wire coming off each breaker. You should see a separate aluminum bus with all the neutrals connect to it. You may also see a copper ground bar with bare copper conductors connected to it. If you don't see this then your home does not have a ground. In spite of johncob's ignorance induced panic statement, your house is liveable and can be safe as long as your wiring insulation is in good shape and you follow safe practices. For example, gfci outlets won't work in your house without a ground, so don't use electrical appliances around sinks.
